Ignatius of Loyola

Ignatius of Loyola (23 October 1491-31 July 1556) was a Spanish Basque priest and the founder of the Society of Jesus religious order within the Catholic Church. Loyola, a talented spiritual director, was one of the most influential leaders behind the Counter-Reformation.

Biography
Ignatius of Loyola was born in Loyola, Basque Country, Castile on 23 October 1491, and he served in the Spanish Army during the Italian Wars. In 1521, he was injured when French-backed Navarrese troops stormed the fortress of Pamplona, leaving him with one leg shorter than the other; his military days were over. While recovering from surgery, Loyola underwent a spiritual conversion, and his visions of saints led to a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in September 1523. From 1524 to 1534, he studied theology and Latin at the University of Alcala, and he formed the Society of Jesus in 1539, structuring it after the army; he became its "Superior-General". Loyola became known as a talented spiritual director, publishing Spiritual Exercises in 1548 to promote using meditations, prayers, and other mental exercises. His Jesuits served as Catholic missionaries for the Pope, and his main principle of Ad maiorem Dei gloriam ("For the greater glory of God") became the motto of the Jesuits. He died of malaria in Rome, Papal States in 1556 at the age of 64, and he became a saint in 1622. In 1922, Pope Pius XI made him the patron saint of spiritual retreats, and he also served as the patron saint of soldiers.